Counterpart
by ToxicSugarNinja
Summary: Wherever there is light, there is darkness. Ying and Yang. The sacred balance. But what happens when the darkness is outshined? Can the light remain pure? Or will it fall to corruption? Virus Digimon are dying and the Holy Council is to blame...
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer**__**:** I DO NOT own digimon, Hellboy, Starbucks or any other copyrighted work that I may fail to mention. If I did, I probably wouldn't be writing fan fiction._

_Author's Note__: Sometimes I might post random songs that I think go good with the chapter if you would like to enhance your fanfic experience. This is just a prologue and it's not the best I can do by a long shot, but after much deliberation, it was the best way to get the ball rolling. The song is "How I Disappear" by My Chemical Romance (whom I also do not own, but that's what dreams are for). __J Honestly, "The Sharpest Lives" would fit nicely as well (it seems to relate to the fic as a whole.) This is my first fic so please be gentle. I don't mind constructive criticism, but __**please no flames**__. Thanks! Now, on with the show!_

* * *

Prologue

It was always raining. And it could never just be rain.

Thunder crashed overhead, as if the harsh winds themselves were signaling their collision. A vein of lightning crackled a pulsing blue against the ever darkening sky. Needles fell from the heavens, rapidly splattering against every and any surface they could find. The trees were mortified and howled their frustration as they swept to kiss the ground. Once calm waves roared against the shore, sweeping away everything in their path. It was deafening and a sight of sheer horrific beauty.

She still had no clue where she was.

Then the waves swept her, dragging her down into the black sea before she could call out. She was yanked and thrown like a rag doll. As she spiraled below the surface, she was faintly aware that this was all happening too soon. The pressure built, the shivers that racked her body brought about another unpleasant realization.

She was not alone…

Fighting the current, she struggled to press forward, away from the unwelcoming prescience.

_Human._

Startled, she stopped. Her oddly dry golden brown hair twisted around her face, the water nothing more than wind. It tugged her back as if to steer her toward the voice. But whatever it was hadn't spoken. But… it had to have been said aloud. How else would she have heard it? And she wasn't hearing things. She couldn't have been. It was so clear, so unmistakable. So… forlorn.

The current continued to sweep her further out, slowly burying her into the watery vortex. She gave herself up to it, thankful for the strange ability to breath that she had experienced so many times before in this place. This voice was upset, down right desperate. And worse yet… it sounded in pain.

_Human._

_I'm coming, I'm coming._

She froze once again, this time in awe. She hadn't said it out loud, yet it was much more than just an inner monologue. Somehow she just knew that whoever was calling out to her had gotten the message. So it was telepathy then. There was no end to the weirdness of this place.

Curious now more than ever, she swam along with the current, eager to find this source. Maybe it would know just what the heck was going on.

_You._

And there he was, right below her. Wide blue, blue eyes the envy of the sea itself and full of… surprise? His hair was lengthy, but it was just hard to tell just how long it really was as the water tossed it. The layers were uneven as it whipped about his face, but the hue was a silken spun gold that put her hair color to shame. He was alabaster and his face was streaked in scars, blood flowing into the water from a wound on his full lips. He was so pale, so lifeless looking, lips nearly blue and bloodless. She faintly wondered if he was suffering from hypothermia or if it was all blood loss. Nervous, she noted that blood loss could very well be a possibility.

His clothes were torn and thanks to the water's murkiness and the odd plant that curled around him from knees to torso, it was hard to tell what they looked like anyway. The shock subsided as his face screwed up in pain and he threw his head back, one of the most mournful noises she had ever heard in her life escaping his lips. The cruel force of the water muffled it, mockingly sweeping it away from anyone else who might be able to aide him.

Instinct took over and before she knew it, she was racing to help him, to help loosen whatever the hell it was that was squeezing him. Sque-

She was frozen in a brief heartbeat of shock until the epiphany began to take hold. Before she could even finish her thought, the plant was suddenly not a plant and she didn't know why she had ever thought it could be. Frightened, she was able to trace the long appendage back up to its owner, damning her perceptiveness. Large crimson eyes glowed eerily back at her. The shock was too much and she was forced to watch as what she could only describe as some sort of water demon slunk towards her. Lined in its mouth were rows of razor sharp teeth. The sinister grin across its face was needlessly less than reassuring.

The man screamed once again, the blue tentacle inching its way to his windpipe. Her attention was quickly turned back toward the beast before her when it spoke, voice unearthly and gurgling.

"Have you come to save him?"

This place… it wasn't real, right? If it wasn't real, then she was safe no matter what. So… why not play hero?

Her crystal eyes narrowed and her lip curled in a wolfish snarl. Unbeknownst to her, her nostrils flared. "So what if I am?"

This burbling hissing noise cut through the water. It… Was it _laughing_ at her? That was it.

"Listen fish guts, I've had enough of this crap. This is my dream, or imagination, or whatever. Now, you be a nice little kraken and let him go."

The hissing was gone and there was nothing but the hush of the current.

"I wonder how you taste."

And then it gave a great roar and the current swirled to his anger. As she watched in terror, what she could only assume to be the man's voice echoed throughout her mind.

_Go._

Suddenly, she was struggling to breath. The water was pressing in around her on all sides. So much pressure. It was as if she had been in some invisible air bubble before and now it had been breeched. She was drowning. And the worst part was, it felt so real.

_Rachael._

Gasping, she flailed, her lungs betraying her and sucking in water. It was one of the worst sensations she had ever felt in her life. She had loved the water since she was a child and it was almost ironic that something that had been a big part of her life would be the thing that took it.

* * *

Rachael. Wake up, Rachael. It's Jay. Rachael.

Her eyes flung wide, pulse pounding so frantically that for a second she swore that it had shimmied up into her throat. It took a few seconds for the realization to kick in and a few more for her heart to settle down. She was alive. She was okay. Everything was okay.

She dared to slowly scan her surroundings, a bit startled to find a pair of nearly black, almond shaped eyes blatantly staring at her. She blinked, the pieces gradually starting to fall into place as reality sunk in. She fell back into her seat, relief being an obvious understatement for how she felt. Faintly she was aware that there was someone speaking next to her. Someone very impatient from the sound of it.

"Rachie, what the hell happened?"

She ignored the boy in front of her and turned to the speaker. Well, as humanly possible as it was to ignore a six foot tall half -Japanese man with a face full of metal and what amounted to a platinum porcupine on his head. The young man she now faced was a bit less intimidating, but that didn't stop him from being dangerous in so many other ways.

Jay had been working in a bookstore the first time she had met him. Even way back then, despite his initial shyness, he had always had the aura about him that life had more in store for him than a simple sales clerk. The way his hazel eyes had lit up with this… fire that she had no words for whenever he talked about music or art and pouring your heart out. It was inspiring. It was just… Jay. And now, four years later, here they were, on a plane to Japan, far more than two strangers who had discovered they had a mutual love of Hellboy comics in a little bookstore in Cleveland, Ohio.

Artist's fingers waved in front of her face and Jay's soft, nasally voice murmured what could have been her name again. Fully aware, she snapped back to reality, cursing that she hadn't had time to grab a frappuccino.

"Sorry, Jay. I didn't have time to take my pills."

His exasperated sigh was enough. "Great."

Mark's annoying giggle chortled too close to her ear for comfort. Mark was an odd character to begin with and the giggling just clumped together with his overall weirdness.

"At least she didn't have time for coffee. It'd be a thousand times worse."

Perturbed, Rachael retaliated the only way she knew how in her caffeine-deprived state.

The reaction was far from the desired effect. "Honestly, Rach, sticking your tongue out? What are you, five?"

Unaware that she was only solidifying his point, she crossed her arms, too well endowed to really pull off the whole "badass" look. It's hard to glare when you're cradling your breasts, but she somehow managed. Unfazed, mark's pierced lips stretched in a Chesire smile.

"How cute, Kitty's pouting."

"Kitty's gonna claw out your 'f'ing eyes in a minute or two if you keep it up."

An eye roll and huffed "Whatever" was hardly a victory, but at least he shut up and slunk back down into his seat.

"Rachie."

Oh God…

Her eyes, a soft blue grey with the hushed dark of the plane met his stunning hazel ones. She struggled not to fall into the soft swirls of gold and green that fought to be seen through the amber. What was it about this kid that turned her to mush?

With a defeated sigh, she finally fled from his gaze. "It was just a nightmare, Jay. I'm okay."

Gently, those long fingers traced small circles on the back of her hand. He meant it to be reassuring, but the butterflies still danced around in her stomach. "You've been having a lot of those lately."

Her chest tightened with the cool huskiness that Jay called a voice. When he sang, it was sort of high, nasally, but it got your adrenaline pumping. When he spoke in that soft almost-whisper… Her knees buckled and she was thankful they were sitting down. He was like a summer's breeze creeping in through your window, slithering over your skin and thrumming against your ear drums. So many times, she had wondered if he had been fully aware of how his voice had affected her. But that was just Jay, just how he spoke. He wasn't trying to get into her pants. Or at least… she didn't think so.

She tried not to sigh as she peeked out her window at the clouds below them. She was not falling in love with her best friend. He was like a brother to her. She had seen him date girls, seen what flipped his switch and she was not it. Maybe if she repeated that mantra enough, she'd actually believe it.

"Rachie, come on. I'm usually the anti-social one here." She didn't even have to look at him to know that he was giving her that cheeky little boy grin that made her heart flutter. That in itself was confirmation enough that she was too far gone to lie anymore.

"I'm fine, Jay. I'm just nervous, I guess."

He gave her hand a soft squeeze and she knew he had bought it. As his breathing changed and she knew he had fallen asleep, she was faintly aware that he had never released her hand. Her throat tight, she continued to stare out the window, too conflicted to let go. They were just friends… holding hands… She couldn't help sparring him a glance, despite her better judgment. It was quick, but as she turned back to the window, she couldn't focus on the clouds. All she saw was Jay, asleep and adorable with his ebony dyed hair puffed up in several different directions and his Cupid's bow lips half parted in a content slumber.

She wouldn't lie to herself anymore. But lying to everyone else was a whole different story.

* * *

_**So, this was just the prologue. Sorry if it's a bit lengthy, or short. I want it to be more in-depth so it might seem to drag on a bit, but trust me, it'll be worth it. The narration in this chapter is also a bit jumpy for a reason. It has a connection to Rachael's "problem" which will be revealed in later chapters. They all won't wonder off track as much.**_

_**You'll get a good taste of our favorite digimon characters in the next chapter. And anyone who can guess who the "man" in the ocean and the water demon are gets a hundred cyber cookies with imaginary chocolate sprinkles on top! YAY SPRINKLES!!**_

_**cough… sorry… Well, see you next time. Please read and review!**_


	2. Wakarimasen

Disclaimer: No own, no sue… blah, blah, blah.

OK! Now that that's out of the way… this chapter's got our original heroes just like I promised!

The story takes place four years after 02 (and I'm sorry to say that I'll be going with the dub because I'm American and it's what I'm used to, but I'm trying to preserve as much of the Japanese culture in this as I can. I might mix in some of the japanese nicknames if I think it's appropriate ex: mattyama. If anybody has any suggestions, or corrections, don't hesitate to tell me. Just once again, please no pointless flames. **AND PLEASE REVIEW!** Thanks). The ages are as follows:

**Tai:** 18 yrs old, high school graduate-- tells everyone that he will be attending Nippon Sport Science University for his skills at soccer, but Tai's obsession with sports has almost dissipated. And he CUT HIS HAIR, ladies and gentlemen! Hallelujah!

**Matt:** 18 yrs old, plans to attend a graduate school for film, but isn't sure. He is still in a band, but had to take a part time job at a movie theater. He is very into science fiction.

**Davis:** 15 yrs old, is in high school with the rest of the 02 team (except for ken); he still excels in soccer, but has much more fun playing for leisure rather than a team. He likes to experiment with cooking, much to Veemon's delight.

**T.K:** 15 yrs old is one of the basketball team's best players. Kari and him are an official couple. He spends his free time at the movie theater matt works at and is considering a career in some sort of writing, sports or otherwise.

**Kari:** 15 yrs old is one of the most popular girls in the high school. She is destined to be cheerleading captain her senior year and already outshines the rest of her squad, much to their dismay. She baby sits part time for extra money and has discovered she likes working with children. However, lately she has been a social butterfly and has been neglecting her duties.

**Mimi:** 17 yrs old, is on vacation in japan to visit her friends, she's staying with Kari at the Kamiya house hold. She plans to possibly move back to Tokyo to pursue a career in fashion, but has discovered that cooking comes very easy to her and she often whips up dishes to relieve stress. She is still incredibly cheery, but has lost some of her naiveté.

**Izzy:** 17 yrs old; will be a senoir in high school but many colleges are already interested in him, including the University of Tsukuba for his knowledge of physics. He still spends most of his free time emerged in is computer, but most of his research deals with the digital world and its origins.

Since this is quite a bit of info, I'll introduce the rest of the characters as they pop up in the story. I apologize further for my lack of knowledge about the subway, but I've only been on one in my life and it was in Manhattan for like two and half minutes at the most (train and station included).

I also think of these scenarios like, in a screenplay format, but it's sort of boring writing like that even if it does let you get a good visual. To get the images in your head, I'll be adding scene changes and tidbits that are in present tense and what not. They'll be in ()'s. If it gets annoying, just let me know and I'll cut it out. BTW, the italizaised stuff is a character's DIRECT thoughts. Enjoy! ;)

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Chapter One:

Lost In Translation

Just great… Why was it that he _always_ somehow managed to be late?

Frantically, Tai Kamiya raced down the streets of Tamachi, expertly dodging the masses of people that bustled by. It was going to be hell getting a train at this hour. Everybody was just getting off work and the stations would be packed.

Skidding to a halt before he fell down the terminal, he could only blame himself. He had called ken, he would have known to begin with that he was out of town. Of course… if he had just let Davis go like it was suggested, then he wouldn't be stuck in this predicament. But no, he had to play the nice guy.

Quickly, he scanned his card and passed through the turnstiles. So… where was he going again? Oh, right! Hamamatsucho. And from there the monorail. Great. Excellent. Damn…

Throwing his hands up in exasperation, Tai watched as the train crammed full of people pulled away. Just wonderful. He had missed the train. And the next one wouldn't be here until… He checked his watch, finally thankful for one of his father's "lame" gifts. Well, fifteen minutes… maybe…

Mocking him, his cell phone rang. He didn't even have to check the number to know who it was.

"Hey, Matt…" he droned, already anticipating the bad news.

"Hey, man, where are you? The third game started five minutes ago."

What?! He was really that late?! "Are you serious?! Kami, can't I be on time to anything?!"

Matt's husky chuckle sounded through the phone, for some reason really ticking him off. He could just picture the blond all curled up on his dad's leather couch with a bowl of chips, the guys all huddled around the TV. "I'd be worried about you if you were."

Yeah… definitely a little ticked off…

Before he could consider a suitable comeback, Matt's sarcasm was gone. "So, where are you now?"

The anger completely vanished with a sudden wave of embarrassment. Tai gave a sheepish grin, forgetting for a second that Yama wouldn't be able to see him through the phone. "Yeah, well uh… funny story really. Ken's not home and I sort of… missed the train."

"Oh… Ouch man. What about the bus?"

Sighing, Tai took a seat on the ground, resting against one of the poles. Why was it so empty in here anyway? This line ran back up to central Tokyo. It should be crowded.

"Tai?"

"OH!" the brunette snapped back into reality, shoving his curiosity aside. "I don't have any money. All I've got is my train card."

Ever the optimist, Matt sighed. "Do I even have to tell you how stupid that was?"

_Grit your teeth. Count to ten. Don't explode. Ticking Matt off isn't going to help you_. His knuckles began to turn white where they gripped the small phone.

After a second of holding his breath, Tai was able to find his voice. "No."

Sensing his friend's anger, Matt decided it would be best to steer this conversation in another direction. "Well, I'm sure Gabumon would have no problem giving you a lift, but I think people'd be a little freaked out if they saw anymore giant monsters running through the streets, whether or not they're around more frequently."

Tai gave a weary smile, sagging against the pole. "Yeah… you'd think they'd be used to it by now…"

The whole incident with Malomyotismon hadn't gone over too well with the real world. Apparently, the battle itself had only been able to be viewed by the residents of Tokyo, but just like some years before hand, there were little "mishaps" all over the place. Governments were trying to pass it off as some sort "gaseous reaction" or something. The amount of dig destined in Japan was phenomenal, but the rest of the world seemed to still be in the dark. It was just as well, he guessed. Maybe someday he'd work on fixing that.

Matt's laughter shook him from his thoughts. "Yeah, really. If it catches on, we wouldn't have to worry about the price of gas."

Tai shook his head, but he couldn't help smiling. "Yeah. For those of us lucky enough to have cars."

"Consider yourself lucky. I hardly use it and when I do, the gigs are usually far enough away that the whole paycheck goes to filling the tank."

Knowing that no matter what, Matt would try to come out on top, Tai did the most sensible thing he had done all day. He gave up. The small pause got him wondering about the subway's odd emptiness. It almost screamed trouble. He began to wish he had brought Agumon along.

(Quick scene change to Matt's apartment. Matt is in fact on the couch as Tai pictured him. Agumon and Gabumon are watching TV on the floor with a bowl of food while Veemon is seen upsidedown on the recliner watching the game.)

"How's Agumon?"

Matt shrugged, balancing the phone on his shoulder so he could grab his drink off the coffee table. "Same as Gabumon-- eating everything in sight."

Twin shouts of indignation sounded in the background and Tai couldn't help smirking.

"Geez!" Matt waved his hands in a 'don't shoot the messenger' plea. "Take it easy guys! You know Davis eats about as much as both of you combined."

Davis' shout from the kitchen shocked Matt. "What?! I do not! See if I make you guys any Ramen!"

Matt sweat dropped and slunk into the couch. _Why does everyone have to be such a drama queen? Sheesh._

(Cuts back to Tai in the subway.)

Tai strained to hear what was going on in the background, bearing a rather cheeky grin as Agumon's voice seemed to be chanting something. Matt's exasperated sigh was enough to make Tai forgive him for his earlier sarcasm. "All right, all right! Here!" was all the goodbye the blond gave before Agumon's bubbly voice filled the speaker.

"Hi, Tai!"

"Hey buddy," Tai couldn't keep the affection smile off his face. "How's it going?"

The digimon's seriousness almost sent him chuckling. "It's all right. Japan's not doing so good though."

Just great. "Do we ever?" Was his mortified reply.

Feeling the need to comfort his partner, Agumon started rambling. "Well, I mean, they're good, but… so far Argentina's leading and Germany hasn't played yet. England's playing though. France played already, but I'm not sure what the score was or anything. TK's a little bummed though, so I'm taking it they lost."

"Heh, figures. Is Kari there?"

Agumon shook his head, stil not quite used to using a telephone. When he realized Tai hadn't seen him, he felt a little dumb. "No. Her and Gatomon called about a half an hour ago. They're meeting Mimi at the airport in Narita."

Tai smacked himself upside the head. "That's right! I totally forgot!"

(Cut to Gatomon and Kari waiting for Mimi in the seating area of the air port. Kari is reading a magazine and Gatomon sighs as she files her claws. Mimi calls out Kari's name and the rush to each other to hug. Gatomon sweapdrops as she sees Palmon carrying a mountain of duffel bags. "Rough flight, hunh?" Palmon drops the bags, exhauseted. "You don't know the half of it.")

(Back to Tai.)

Oh great… Nothing was worse than Mimi after an overnight flight. He so owed Kari.

As if he could read his mind, Agumon felt the need to add, "Don't worry about it. I think they're taking her shopping as soon as they drop her things off so she should be in a good mood. I still don't understand why she couldn't just use the digital gates."

"If you knew how much luggage she carries, you wouldn't be asking that." tai felt sorry for whoever she dragged into being her personal bellboy. Kari's anger was totally worth it.

Echoing footsteps raced down the stairs. Tai stared, too startled by the sudden shock of other life forms to listen to what Agumon was rambling on about.

Right before him were a group of young adults, each one loaded with luggage. A few had what Tai thought were material guitar cases slung over their shoulders. They were all panting.

"Damn it, Mark! We missed the train!" A rather muscular man with short blonde hair and the beginnings of a beard shouted. All he wore was a white tank top with cargo shorts and a pair of black skater shoes. He didn't even need the tribal tattoo down his left shoulder to scream American.

The boy in question was rather tall and athletically lanky. He wore jeans and a grey short sleeved t-shirt over a black long-sleeved one. His hair was wild and platinum blonde. His right eyebrow, and nose were pierced. He also had… what were they called? Oh, snake bites through his lip. Surprised, Tai realized that he was part Asian. "Mark", black eyebrows furrowed, dropped his bags to the floor and proceeded to flip off the blond man. "Suck it, Carl. I don't see you lugging around an instrument."

"Neither is Jay." Carl gave a nod of his head toward a shorter man with wild black hair and hazel eyes. Jay's face was a bit softer than the other boys' but his high cheekbones signaled a solid bone structure. He wore a pair of dark jeans that looked a little too tight for comfort. A studded belt peaked out from its hiding place under the man's fitted black T-shirt. Tai raised an eyebrow at the logo across the shirt, but shrugged it off. He didn't really find the man "Drop Dead Gorgeous", but he knew there was a charm there that would win over a lot of girls if the man really wanted them.

Jay just shrugged. "I'm not the one that's complaining. Besides, I carried Marzipan for a little bit."

A short girl with golden brown hair pulled back in a curly ponytale set her guitar down by Jay. Contrasting to the somewhat semi-dressy clothes Tai was used to seeing girls wear, she stuck out like a sore thumb in her plain jeans and black t-shirt with what looked like a skeleton stuffed animal across the front. At first glance he could have sworn her eye were blue, but as the light hit them, they were lighter, almost a pale green. It was weird, but sort of pretty. It reminded him of a cat for some reason. Maybe it was because they were so pale...

"You could carry it again if you really want to." Her voice was a bit deeper than he would have expected, almost like a young boy's, but it wasn't horribly unattractive. What would he expect her to sound like anyway?

Jay grinned and shook his head. "No thanks. It's fun to watch you struggle with it."

Tai watched her blush and dart her gaze away. "Whatever," she mumbled.

"-right all over his head! It was great!...Tai, Tai, are you listening to me?"

Still a bit dazed, Tai mumbled, "I'll call you back later, okay, buddy?"

"Uh, sure. Just be careful, Tai."

"No problem."

(Cuts to Matt's appartment where Agumon is shown looking forlornly at the phone.)

Agumon hung up the phone and trudged back to his spot on the floor next to Gabumon (who was devouring the cheese puffs). "What's wrong, Agumon?"

"Nothing, I just... I think Tai is mad at me..."

At the sorrow in his friend's voice, Gabumon abandaned trying to follow what was happening on TV. "I don't think so. I think Tai's just growing up a bit, that's all. Being a bit more independent and all of that."

A bit suprised, Agumon absently picked up one of the cheese puffs. "Ya think?"

"I know so."

At his friends assurance, Agumon let a prideful smile cross his face and popped the cheese puff into his mouth. Tai really was growing up.

(Back in the subway. Tai is too dazed by the foreigners to notice that someone is in front of him.)

"Excuse me."

KAMI!

Relearning how to breath, Tai looked at the blond Japanese man in front of him... Mark, was it?

"Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. Uh, would you be able to tell us how to get to Fuji TV? We'd really appreciate it."

A bit startled, Tai just blinked. He tried not to stare at the multiple piercings on the boy's face while he spoke.

"Gomen nasai. Wakarimasen...uh.."(I'm sorry -_formal_. I don't know...) Mark trailed off for a moment, not quite sure how to phrase it. "Watashi haikani odaiba ni eru ka?" (How do I get to Odiaba? --_it is sort of jumbled and not gramatically correct_)

Tai stared, a bit surprised at the Japanese, but not getting where it came from. "Wakarimasen." (I don't understand.)

Mark sighed dramatically and knelt by him, seemingly deep in thought. Jay stood looking at the subway map along with Carl whom was making frusterated comments about all the colors.

"Tasukete kudasai. Michi ni mayoimashita." (Please help me. I'm lost.)

That Tai understood. "Odaiba?"

Mark's dark eyes lit up. "Hai!" (Yes!)

Tai smiled. He was already late. So why not?

With a wistful look in his eyes, Mark asked,"Ei go?" (english?)

Oh, so that's why he was speaking Japanese. He had thought Tai couldn't understand him. _Well, no need to let him know that his piercings just freaked me out a little._"Hai."

"OH, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Doumo arigatou gozaimasu!" (Thank you very much! -_formal_) Mark turned around and brayed to the rest of his comrades, "You guys, he can get us to Odaiba!"

The chorus of cheers brought a rush of heat up Tai's face. He gave a nervous cough. "It's no problem, really. I live there and my friend's dad works at the TV station, so it's no problem getting you there."

The golden haired girl joined them, a small smile curved across her rose petal lips. "Thank you. My name's Rachael. And this is Mark. What's your name?"

Ever the Romeo with girls, Tai cleared his throat again. "Uh, my name's Tai."

For some reason that made her smile wider. "Nice to meet you Tai. Our plane got here at eight something and we've been on our feet all day. Thank you so much."

Tai stared. "All day?"

Mark looked a little sheepish. He absently rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh... yeah... We kind of got on the wrong train. And our room at the Narita hotel was taken."

"Bummer."

"Yeah."

"So... all we have to do is take this train up to Hamamatsucho and switch to the monorail. From there, we change at Tennozu Isle and that'll lead us right into Odaiba. Fuji TV's not too far from there. Unless you guys want to see the Rainbow Bridge?"

Rachael looked to Mark questioningly. He shrugged. "It's just a big bridge that connects the island to Japan's main land. We'll see it later if you want. You can't miss it. I just wanted to get all this stuff dropped off now. I'm starving and I'm tired."

She nods. "Yeah. That sounds good."

"TRAIN!"

Carl broke off in a sprint away from the map to his stuff, Jay in tow. Mark dashed away as well, swinging his guitar onto his back.

For a second, Tai wondered why Rachael wasn't with them, until he saw the small hand extended toward him with it's painted little blue nails. Not quite understanding, Tai looked up at her. She was smiling. "Come, on. I'll give you a hand up."

Oh. He was a bit taken back, but didn't want to offend her, so he took her hand. He surprised to find that she was actually pretty strong. She gave him one last smile and turned to go just as the mass of people started to fill in.

"CRAP! JAY, DO YOU HAVE MARZIPAN?!" her voice strained to carry over the hustle and bustle around her. She was so small that Tai was afraid she'd be crushed. When there was no answer, she took off, not even noticing the man in what Tai could have sworn was a long brown cloak. He didn't have time to think much of it as she bolted straight into the figure, falling flat on her butt in the sea of subway goers.

Insinct took over and Tai was able to hear her muffled "OH! SORRY! GOMEN NASAI! WAIT! WAIT!"

He snatched her around the waist, hoisting her up and crushing her to him as the current of travels slowly disappated. Worried, he looked down to see if she was okay, but she seemed to be too preoccupied with something.

"What's that?"

Startled, she cranked her head up, staring into those chocolate brown eyes. Rachael shivered as she realized just how close they were. Trying to shove away the fact that she was in the arms of a cute boy, she raised her hand so he could get a better look. "He dropped this."

His heart stopped.

And there, cradled in the palm of her hand, was something that brought back so many memories for him. Something that had always been a beacon of hope. Something that shouldn't be here.

"You know what this is." He lifted his gaze just enough to see her eyes narrowed in suspicion. He was too shocked to answer.

Yes, he knew what it was. Of course he knew.

It was the crest of light... And it was broken.

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DUN, DUN, DUH!

So, I might have to up the rating sometime for potty mouths but that'll be the only reason. This seemed to drag on a bit. I blame my need to add irrelevant info, but whatevs. Hope you enjoyed it. I'd like to know if you guys enjoy this or at least know the method to my madness, so please REVIEW!


	3. Oh the Irony

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Disclaimer:

I don't own digimon or any other references. I'm not a millionaire so it should be apparent. 

_I wish I was though. (insert smiley here)-- they disappear when I make them... (sad smiley face...) _

_Neway… I talk too much so I will leave you with one final note… **71 hits** for two chapters and not one review? Come on, guys… at least **one** person's got to be a little interested. Review and I'll return the favor. So.. To make things a bit easier than the jumbled mess that was the last chapter… since I can only use the standard ()'s and not the other little funny looking ones, if someone says something in Japanese, I'll italicize it in their speech and put the translation in ()'s. If it's formal or something like quotes, I'll denote it with little \'s since apparently anything creative that requires the shift bar can't work... GRRR! Okay. This should work. ONWARD!_

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__**Recap:**_

_Startled, she cranked her head up, staring into those chocolate brown eyes. Rachael shivered as she realized just how close they were. Trying to shove away the fact that she was in the arms of a cute boy, she raised her hand so he could get a better look. "He dropped this."_

_His heart stopped._

_And there, cradled in the palm of her hand, was something that brought back so many memories for him. Something that had always been a beacon of hope. Something that shouldn't be here._

_"You know what this is." He lifted his gaze just enough to see her eyes narrowed in suspicion. He was too shocked to answer._

_Yes, he knew what it was. Of course he knew._

_It was the crest of light... And it was broken._

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Chapter Two: Oh, the Irony

"HEY, RACHIE!"

In horror, the two teenagers watched as the train doors closed behind a very frantic Jay. Rachael checked briefly to see if her stuff was still there, relieved to find that all Jay had left behind was one of her duffel bags. He really was a sweetheart sometimes.

She sighed, gently stepping back from Tai. Well, there was always the next train, right? "That wasn't the… _shuuressha_ was it?" (last train of the day)

It took a second to recover. Tai blinked, not quite understanding until she threw the duffel bag over her shoulder. "Oh… no, but it's gonna be another while."

She stood by him and casually dropped the bag behind her. "Fine by me." The moment became awkward. Tai flinched at her suspicious gaze. Her arms strained to cross over her chest. It would've been cute if not for the fact that her eyes were boring a hole in his head.

_Would it really hurt to tell her? I mean, we have the time._

He sighed, playing scenarios over in his head. She'd either freak out and head for the hills, she'd think he was just crazy (which he concluded wasn't too much of a loss unless she took the crest with her), or she'd… what? Possibly believe him?

"Um," he cleared his throat, praying to Kami that his voice wouldn't sound like he had just hit puberty. "Your Japanese is pretty good."

Bingo. Flattery really was the best way to appease a woman. Her eyes lit up and she stuck her phone into her back pocket. Tai hadn't remembered her even getting it out.

"Really? I've been working on it. I know quite a bit of French so it wasn't as hard as everyone says it is to get used to."

Maybe she was just that hard to derail. Or maybe she had finally noticed the smug little grin on his face. Whatever the reason, her piercing stare was back. "Stop smirking. I still remember."

Oh… so he _was_ grinning. With that quick realization, the smile was gone and Tai was left trying to devise another strategy. "Aren't you going to call your friends?"

"They know I'm fine. Jay texted me while you were debating /should I tell her/ for a few minutes. He knows where they're going. He's used to subways."

Well… so maybe he _was_ stalling, but, "Is he from New York? My friend Mimi-"

She laughed, but it wasn't really a happy sound. "Tai, I'm not going to forget about it. It's not something that happens everyday. Now tell me what this thing is and who that guy was."

Were all American girls this pushy?

Defeated, he let his body slide down the column he was pressed against until he flopped onto the ground. For what seemed like the billionth time, he let out a short sigh, "You wouldn't believe me."

She sat next to him, legs crossed and seeming completely at home for sitting on a filthy floor, in a subway, alone with someone she hardly knew, how many miles away from her native country. It was almost admirable. "Try me."

The confidence behind it was enough. She wasn't backing down.

Knowing there was no way out of it, Tai stared at the column in front of him, trying to count how many pieces of gum he could find stuck to it while he wondered about what approach he should take. Finally, when he found his third blue wad, he spoke.

"Do you believe in like.." It was stupid. Oh, Kami did he sound like some nerd right now. He laughed, realizing that it was only appropriate considering he was friends with some of Japan's top nerds.

"Nothing," he shook his head, hoping to dismiss it. "It's stupid."

He didn't even have to turn his head to see the look she was giving him. It softened when she realized that he was embarrassed. She considered touching his arm, then thought better of it. But oh, what the heck?

Tai looked down at the delicate finger tips on his arm. The bright blue nails were stubby, the polish flaking off in places, as if she had no time to repaint them, or to even take the polish off. He met her pale eyes and noted that they weren't as pale as they were in the light. Now, they were almost a normal looking green. He found himself spilling it out before he was aware of what he was doing.

"Do you believe in other worlds?"

There was a slight pause. Then, to his surprise:

"Depends on what you mean by that."

Not really knowing what to say to that, Tai just looked at her, hoping she continued.

She shrugged. "If you mean aliens, then yeah, I guess so. I mean," she gave a small laugh, the smile still on her face as she continued, "no matter how you look at it, religious of not, it'd be pretty stupid if we were the only living things in an entire universe of different galaxies and what not."

He was smiling back, still not quiet sure what to say and thankful when she spoke again. "If you mean like…" she paused, noticeably uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure why. "Another plane of reality… like when we die…" Oh.. That's why. "I'd like to think we go somewhere. That we don't just all go /poof/."

Hesitantly, Tai rested his hand on hers, a bit startled by how cold her skin was in the summer heat. "I don't think we just go /poof/. There's too much to people for them to just… disappear."

She gave a forced laugh, but it somehow managed to reach her eyes, shining them with pale grey for a moment. "Maybe we get thrown in some recycle bin."

He laughed, amused at her choice of words and the irony of them. "Yeah, maybe."

She was still smiling, but her brow furrowed a bit in curiosity. "What'd I say?"

Giving up on subtly, he withdrew his hand and just tossed it out there. "How about a computer world?"

This stopped her for a minute. She withdrew her own hand from off his arm and crossed her arms in thought. "Like virtual reality?"

"Like virtual reality without the reset button."

That got her attention. She watched him, intrigued, as if he would suddenly change into something and prove his point. He cleared his throat and looked at his knees. "There are monsters there, but… They feel just like we do."

He paused, filled with so many emotions, but not quite sure how to voice them. He continued, too lost in memories and his own feelings to notice her studying him. "And you don't think of them as data anymore. Because data doesn't get scared, or watches movies with you, or like hotdogs." Tai felt himself smiling and couldn't seem to stop. He had a visual of Agumon consuming his bodyweight in chilidogs stuck in his head.

"Go on."

At her soft encouragement, the image faded and he spared her a small glance. "It's just data… But in this world… you're just data, too. You're the same as them. And they're the same as you."

Her silence made him nervous. She was going to bolt. She thought he was a freak.

She was a little freaked out, but who wouldn't be. Still… it sounded like a really cool sci-fi flick or something. And this thing. Rachael looked down at the necklace in her hand. It did look… otherworldly. There were little designs on it that she just knew was another language. From what tai was telling her, it wasn't a human one. Why would he make all this up just for a necklace?

"You sound like you're very close to some of these monsters."

He went back to looking at his knees as if he had just noticed they existed and felt the need to study them.

She rose, leaving tai in his little trance. "I'm not saying you're a liar, but…"

He was too conflicted to look up. It took everything he had not to just jump out and shout that he wasn't lying. That it was all real. That right now, at his friends apartment, there were three monsters gorging themselves and watching the World Cup.

"I've been disappointed too many times to just believe in something, Tai."

The sorrow in that statement did make him look at her. She was staring at the ground, eyes unfocused. She looked lonesome, tired, jaded. "I need to see it first."

He wondered what it was that had disappointed her so greatly. Maybe it was a death since that subject had seemed a little touchy for her. He wasn't sure, but he knew that familiar empty feeling in his heart. Pity.

"SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

Both teens winced, quickly covering their ears.

Rachael fell to her knees, her teeth left aching as if she'd scraped them across the grimy wood of a popsicle stick. Oh, God! What an awful noise! It was like nails on a chalk board, except you couldn't tell when one cycle ended and the other began.

Tai reached for his digivice, hoping to calm it. What was going on? It hadn't done something like this in a long time. The last time it went berserk, there were evil digimon abo… Crap…

Rachael watched the little device tai held before her. It was sort of round, grey, with little buttons on it and symbols in what she could identify were the same language on the necklace. The screen was glowing with some inner light as it emitted that awful noise. Feeling the need to help, but not knowing what to do, she reluctantly uncovered one of her ears and touched the glowing screen.

Instantly, it all stopped.

Both blinked, a ringing still faint in their ears, but the little device had, in fact, ceased its screaming. Better still, the glow was somewhat fainter… and it was green. Great…

Quickly pocketing the device, Tai stood his ground. He looked back at Rachael as she sat there, still stunned.

"Well, I think you're going to get your chance."

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**Just a small note: I'll be signaling significant scene changes with horizontal lines. Hope this builds the suspense. 'K thanks. **

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Pain. It was a rather peculair feeling. There were those who couldn't stand it and there were those who actually felt a sort of elation from the shock of the nerves. For him, pain had never been favorable nor unfavorable. It simply was. It was there for one reason and one reason only, to let him know that his body was suffering. To let him know that he was still alive.

Finally able to focus, he noted that he was in fact on the shore. Relief swept through his aching lungs for a moment and he was thankful that they were empty of water. At least MarineDevimon had given him that courtesy. Not that it would have mattered of course. He wouldn't have drowned nor would he have suffocated. But break? He was surely breakable. He knew without looking that his ribs were horribly bruised. Damn.

It seemed that flexing his fingers was going to be the extent of motion for a while. Hopefully, some other creature wouldn't find him fun to toy with. At least he hadn't been eaten.

His thoughts traveled back to the young girl. What had she been doing here? Was she a digidestined? But humans needed air. She should have drowned. Perhaps she wasn't human. Or... perhaps she hadn't really been there, at least not physically. Hm. Interesting. He vaguely wondered why she had been sent to the Dark Ocean. Was she meant to help him?

He scoffed, regretting it as his ribs began to ache. There was no need to further strain anything. Yet he couldn't help himself. The idea was laughable. That is... unless it really _was_ happening. If that were the case, then the Sovereigns needed all the help they could get. And who better? He did laugh then, full and bitter, not even caring about the sharp tugging in his abdomen. They _needed_ him. Oh, the irony, the bittersweet irony of it all.

_Ah, fate. You are a wicked misteress._

Would that make her... and him..? Nah... No, they would never trust him with... Would they? Were they really that desperate? A smile crooked his lips and it took everything he had not to laugh. So what if they were? Who was he to question the will of the Sovereigns? Who indeed?

He laughed. He laughed until his abs ached and his throat screamed for mercy. He laughed because he couldn't help it. He laughed because he didn't care. He laughed because they were just as far in the hole as he was. And oh did it feel so good.

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**Wow... cra-zy... Ehem. So, this one was a bit shorter. I was going to go into the action, but I've noticed that the chapters are a bit lengthier than ones in most stories so I'm dividing them up unless you guys tell me otherwise. I will keep writing regardless because it helps me vent, but it'd be nice to get a little feedback. PLEASE review and let me know how it's going. And cookies to anyone who figured out it was MarineDevimon, though it was vague so I don't blame you if you couldn't. The other character should be sort of obvious. I was going for subtle, but there's really no subtle way to introduce someone with his kind of persona, so, whatevs. Hope you enjoyed it. And I hope the suspense is gnawing at you. MWAHAHAHAHAHA! ... I know.. I'm evil... :) OMG! A SMILEY! MY POWERS HAVE RETURNED! /diabolically wrings hands/ Well, please READ AND REVIEW and I'll see you next time!**


	4. Confrontations and Explanations

Disclaimer: I own nothing that is not mine. :)

**I would like to thank Xanpluto and Ferahgo05 ****for reviewing as well as those of you who are still following this story. It's going to be harder to update now that I've entered the magical land of college, but I'm not going to abandon it. Other than that, I have no mindless drivel for this section, so be thankful. This is the last of the woefully dragging chapters and our heroes will FINALLY leave the subway! Please check out "The Condemned" as well if you get a chance. Enjoy!**

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Chapter Four: Confrontations and Explanations

Tai fidgeted in his seat. He was sick of sitting down, but the train had been almost empty so there was no need to stand. He sighed. It didn't really matter. He was missing today's games. There was no question about it.

Rachael was keeping herself entertained by texting who Tai could only assume was Jay. She had abandoned examining the crest about five minutes after they had left Tamachi and had resumed her studies on the monorail. It now hung around her neck, forgotten again as she nimbly punched in letters with her thumbs.

"Jay says they're on some kind of bus train thing, but there's no driver. It'll get them to Odaiba though, right?"

"Hm?" Tai raised his head from his hands, processing the information. He ran a hand over his face and slouched back into the seat. "Oh, yeah. It's the Yurikamome. So… what, they did go over the bridge then?"

"Yeah. They missed the stop you told Mark and they got off in Shinbashi."

"Oh." Tai rested his head back on the seat, closing his eyes. "They'll be okay then."

Rachael sighed, abandoning small talk and sinking into her seat as well. Bored, she scanned the other occupants of the train, smiling when she saw a woman holding a little toddler. The toddler was crying and in an effort to soothe him, the mother bounced him gently on her knee, singing what Rachael could only guess was some sort of nursery rhyme. The child sniffled, then started giggling like mad as his mother rubbed noses with him.

"What is she singing?"

"Wha?"

Tai opened his eyes to find Rachael looking off to his right, smiling. He followed her gaze to the laughing toddler, then smiled himself. "It's a little kid's song. My mom used to sing it to me when I was little. It's about a little elephant."

The two watched for a moment as the mother began again, her baby boy laughing as she tapped his nose. "Zou-san, zou-san O-hana ga nagai no ne." She then used the baby's hand to tap her own nose. "Sou yo, kaasan mo Nagai no yo." The baby found this extremely funny and gave a contented squeal.

Tai turned to her, still smiling with his own childhood memories in mind. "Do you want to know what she's saying?"

Rachael's smile widened Tai could swear that there was a soft sheen to her eyes. Without looking away from the pair, she answered. "I think I know. There's some things that you don't really need words for."

Before either of them could comment further, the lights flickered. The child gave a cry and clutched onto his mother. She rubbed his back, whispering soothing words as other train goers peered up at the lights. One man rolled his eyes and continued with his newspaper, muttering something about public transport.

Still, Tai couldn't let go of the feeling that something was going to happen. His gut had always proved him right in the past. And if that were the case, it was something big. He swore that there had to be at least a hundred butterflies dancing around his insides. Even his heart was fluttering.

"I feel it, too."

Chocolate brown eyes widened and he turned his head to face her. She was rubbing her arms, as if to prove that she was equally uncomfortable. "Something's going to happen."

Did being a dig destined give you a sixth sense about these things? Wait, did he really just say that? Why would he just assume..? Oh, whatever. Something bad was going to go down. That he knew. Why Rachael felt it while the other patrons were too involved in the trivialness of their own lives was too much for him.

Chills shook up his spine. His whole body thrummed with them. More so near… his hip?

Tai pulled out his cell phone, vaguely wondering who would have texted him. He knew way too many talkative people.

What in Kami's name..?

There was no number. It wasn't even just denoted as "blocked" or "unlisted." Just… nothing.

Curious now more than ever, he opened the message, hoping that he wasn't being charged for a stupid advertisement.

_Keep her safe._

He blinked. What the hell? Stunned, he looked over to the girl whom he assumed was in question. So… Maybe there was something more to this whole thing. Could it be from Gennai?

They were trapped in total darkness without a moment's warning and the train slowed to a halt. The passengers varied in their reactions. The man who had been reading, cursed that he couldn't see. The baby was crying once again and through the darkness, you could hear his mother cooing softly. Others were either pressed against the glass to see what was going on, or were relaxed in their seats.

One of the children began shouting and pointing out the window a moment before a bright light started heading for the train. By this time, the passengers were up in arms.

"Do you think someone's found us?" "Maybe it's the conductor." "Next time I'm taking the bus." "Do you think it's another train?" "You _baka_, that's not another train." "What is it? I wanna see?"

The light began to shine brighter, nearly blinding in the subway's darkness. It was no flashflight.

"HAND OF FATE!"

Screams erupted from all around as one of the doors caved in. Most of the people where throwing themselves to the ground, submissively taking shelter.

Tai stood up, stunned. He knew that battle cry.

As the light slowly started to dull, there, in the door way stood a very stoic looking Angemon. At first, Tai would have thought him Patamon in his champion form if not for the unmistakable symbol etched across his chest. The crest of light.

It dutifully boarded the train and began scanning the passengers. What was it looking for? The crest?

"It's an angel." "He looks too scary to be an angel." "I'm glad I'm Buddhist."

The angel digimon halted after scanning over the small boys who had been eagerly looking out the window only moments ago. "I will not harm you. I require the one who travels with Taichi Kamiya."

Tai's breath was gone. He.. he knew his name? Who was this guy? He swallowed. Great. Here he was stuck playing hero and his digimon was an island away.

"I'm Taichi."

The Angemon mechanically whirled to face him, his stance rigid. In the most apathetic voice Tai had ever heard, he spoke. "Taichi Kamiya, bearer of the crest of courage. Digivice model 02B. Partner… Agumon. Digivolution pattern… vaccine." After his odd regurgitation, the Angemon visibly relaxed, speaking directly to him this time rather than at him. His voice was still mechanical enough to rival an Andromon's. "You are not a threat. I require the girl. If she comes peacefully then no one will be harmed."

"Tai." Rachael's voice was soft, uncertain. Tai followed her gaze to his belt where his digivice was furiously glowing a neon green. Tai glared at the Angemon. "Just what do you want with her?"

"That is not your concern."

Tai's eyes narrowed as Rachael gasped. He snatched her hand, as if the mere physical contact could enforce his statement. "I'm making it my concern. She's not going anywhere with you."

The Angemon took it in stride, giving a curt nod. "Very well then. I suppose it is essential to explain my position."

"Can we get off the train?"

Both boy and angel turned to look at Rachael. She glanced between the two, a bit reluctant. "You're making a scene. And you're scaring these people. You're an angel. Aren't you supposed to be a good guy?"

The angel in question glared, clearly offended at her accusation. It was almost refreshing to hear some kind of emotion from him, even if it was anger. "That's almost funny coming from you."

Officially tweaked off, Rachael stood her ground, letting go of Tai's hand. Her hands gestured menacingly as she growled into the Angemon's face. "Listen, pal. I don't know what you've got against me and frankly, I don't give a damn." Tai flinched as she shoved an accusing finger in the angel's face. This wasn't going to be good.

"You aren't acting very holy like, smashing doors in and scaring innocent people. The least you can do is let us get off this train so you can condemn me away from these passengers."

Tai didn't need to see behind the angel's helmet to know that he was glaring. "Fine. If you want me to humor you. Be my guest."

With a flourish that had 'sarcastic' written all over it, the Angemon let Rachael stalk past him to hop off the train. Realization hit and Tai rushed after her, her duffel bag snatched in his hand. "RACHAEL BE CAREFUL IT'S-"

"Tai, I know. I'm fine." Relief swept over him as he saw the petite blonde pressed against the side of the tunnel, safely distanced from the electric tracks. He jumped to her side. He took no hesitation in grabbing her hand and doing the first thing that came to mind.

"TAI!" His grasp was really starting to hurt.

"Shh! He'll hear you!" Frustration furrowing his brow, Tai punched in '2' silently thanking everything holy and unholy for the miracle of speed dial. His feet began to ache and their echoing steps were far too loud for comfort. Finally, on the third ring, Izzy's voice sounded through the phone.

"Tai? I thought you were at Matt's for the World Cup? I didn't think it was possible to pry you away from that television."

**(Izzy is currently in his room re-assembling a labtop that rests in his lap. He cradles the phone against his ear with his shoulder and holds a screwdriver limp in his hand while he talks. Tentomon is snoring on Izzy's bed and the television can be heard distantly in the background.)**

"I've sort of…(_pant_) gotta (_pant_) little problem right (_pant_) right now."

Fully at attention, Izzy abandoned his screwdriver to hold the phone. He set the laptop off to the side. "What's going on?"

"Crazy digimon chasing us!"

The genius's eyes widened. Adrenaline kicked in and he shot up from his place on the floor. "What?! Where are you?"

"Dunno… Some- somewhere.. I think when we find the way out of here, we'll be near Palette Town."

"You sure you can make it there?" Izzy was already shoving his digivice in his pocket, strolling over to wake up Tentomon.

"We're gonna have to. Meet us by the Ferris wheel, will ya? And give Matt a buzz. Something tells me this guy isn't gonna give up too easy."

Izzy stared at the phone as the dial tone hummed. He sighed. _Just like Tai to be so cryptic._

**(switches back to Tai and Rachael)**

Finally out of the subway, Tai heaved a sigh of relief. The angemon was nowhere to be soon. But they both knew it couldn't last.

"So…" Rachael struggled to regain her breath. "You gonna… You gonna tell me exactly what the hell is going on?"

"It's complicated."

"Peh. No kidding."

Tai swallowed, his breath as caught up as it was going to get with the adrenaline still buzzing through him. He offered her the bag. "Oh, thanks."

The two began walking down the crowded streets. Rachael felt at odds with the hustle and bustle, but Tai seemed to know where he was going. "How many times am I going to have to ask you this question?"

Frustrated, he sighed and halted their walk. If it was one thing Tai couldn't stand, it was someone who somehow managed to be more stubborn than himself. Maybe that came with the whole leader thing. He was far to sick of questions he didn't know how to answer. "Look… It's not exactly an easy thing to explain and you're going to think I'm crazy. I don't really want to scare you away because for some reason you're involved and we can't risk you getting hurt."

"We?"

Tai hung his head in defeat. Was he always this relentless? He sighed, preparing for a long story as they continued walking.

"Well… you see. It all started eight years ago at summer camp…" Great. A little part of him was hoping that they would be forced to start running again. At least it would save him the embarressment.

* * *

"HEY BOSS! Urgh… I mean… Uh, force a habit I guess."

"Hmph."

What the hell? Faintly, he was aware of a slight pressure on his chest, just over his heart. At first, he merely thought it was the ache of his ribs, but it seemed far too solid. "Is he dead?"

"Let me try." This voice was somewhat cooler, more articulate than the annoying bray before it. Though they both seemed eerily familiar, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Um… okay."

And with a small lurch, the pressure was gone. He considered opening his eyes for a moment, just for a quick glimpse, but thought better of it. If they were familiar, chances were, this little reunion wouldn't be pleasant. Perhaps, if he feigned unconsciousness, they would leave him be.

"Thunderball!"

In a rush, it all came back with that single word and his eyes snapped open. He cursed, forgetting his injuries and hurriedly shielding himself from the fiery bright orb before it burned out his retinas.

"He's awake! How'd you know it'd work?"

The second creature just chuckled that irritating laugh that had always made him grit his teeth. That annoying little…

"Get that WRETCHED thing _out _of my face!"

That annoying chuckle was back, but the light slowly began to fade away. He blinked, testing his eyesight. He saw stars.

"DAMN YOU WIZARDMON!"

The mage in question couldn't help laughing. "As eloquent as always, I see. Even half naked and bleeding, you're still a charmer."

After what seemed like an eternity, he was finally able to focus. Damn. Still in the Dark Ocean.

He gave a frustrated sigh and sought out his visitors. Sure enough, Wizardmon was standing off to the left of him, his smirk hidden behind his collar. What really threw him for a loop was the fact that a round blue ball with saffron eyes was perched on his shoulder, it's smirk a bit more obvious.

His eyes narrowed. "What are you two losers doing here?" He shrugged half-heartedly, "Well, Demidevimon I can understand, but your presence is a mystery. You have done no evil."

Wizardmon responded with his own graceful shrug. "We were sent to help you."

Ah, so that was the catch. Here he was, wounded, weak, at the utter expense of those he tormented over the years. He passed a hand over his eyes, the irony bitter enough to taste. "Oh, how fitting."

"I wouldn't be complaining if I were you."

Irritated, he pulled himself up, his head spinning. Wizardmon clutched his ex-master's shoulder, steadying him. The vampire growled, shaking off his hand and struggling to fight the sharp ache in his skull.

"I don't need your help!"

Demidevimon fluttered from his spot on the wizard's shoulder, landing on the gritty shore. He cocked his body to the side, much in the way a curious dog would cock their head. His eyes were more interested than they were concerned. "You ok, boss?"

"I'm not…" The specks of light were disappearing from his peripheral vision. Finally. He cleared his throat, recovering. "I'm not your _boss_ anymore."

Wizardmon crossed his arms, his voice relatively amused. "Really? I find that surprising. You've always been very possessive of your things." His emerald eyes narrowed with a challenge. "Or what you consider to be yours."

He grunted, at a loss for retaliation in his weakened state.

"Well, let's get down to business shall we?"

The once demon lord scoffed. "And that would be?"

Wizardmon carefully waved his hands in symbolic gestures. "One second. You'll see." A similar ball of light was formed, only duller, nearly transparent. It was a sheer oddity. He could see shapes and colors swirling around in the seeing stone, or what amounted to be a seeing stone. Clarity settled in and the three monsters watched as a group of teenagers were brought into view, lounging in what was obvously a hotel room. The orb focused on one boy in particular. He was of a fairly short stature, solid, but not remarkably overweight. His raven colored hair was a paradox, short while still managing to look long and a bit shaggy. Hazel eyes stared intently at a sketchpad, lean, artist's fingers gliding across the page. His pencil made soft scraping sounds across the page, strangely louder than the laughter of his companions in the background.

The vampire shrugged, not too impressed, but not disappointed. "I am... to be paired with a child then?"

Wizardmon gave a curt nod.

"He is adequate I suppose, though I do not see myself paired with a silent artist."

Demidevimon started snickering. Wizardmon smiled. "He's mine."

"Oh." He stared, pondering. So... his was worse?

"I've got one, too!" The bat creature began to chant, bobbing around like a crow. "Show him mine! Show him mine!"

The mage rolled his eyes.

The image faded and a new on took its place. A boy and a girl were walking down the street. The boy seemed oddly familar whilst the girl...

"Hm." She was... cute. Not exactly a ten on his list, but he was admittedly a bit shallow when it came to looks. She was small and curvy with an hourglass figure that would have been shocking if she were a bit taller. Instead, the curves seemed to shorten the length of her torso. Her eyes were a crystal blue green and disturbingly reminded him of a cat. "She is... cute."

Wizardmon gave a smug grin, but Demidevimon wasn't as subtle.

He glared at the bat, weighing the consequences if he were to just strangle the impudent little pest. "What's so funny?"

Wizardmon chuckled, lifting his gaze from the two teenagers to cold blue eyes. "She's yours."

* * *

**The song the mother sings her child is a real Japanese children's song. I couldn't help adding it once the idea popped into my head. It makes it all seem a bit more realistic. The song is really cute so I decided to post the lyrics in English below if you're interested. If not, thanks again for reading!**

Zou-san, zou-san O-hana ga nagai no neSou yo, kaasan moNagai no yoZou san, zou sanDare ga suki na noAno ne kaasan ga sukina no yo

English: Little elephant, little elephant,You have a long long nose.Yes sir, my mother has a long nose, too.Little elephant, little elephant,Who do you like best in the world?Well, I like my mother best in the world.


	5. Enter the Holy Council

Disclaimer: I own nothing that I have not created.

"dialogue" _Thought_ narration

Chapter Five: Enter the Holy Council

"Jeez Kari, slow down." T.K. sighed, rolling his eyes and absently messing with the phone's cord. He silently wished his dad would just get with the times and get a cordless. At least then he could sit down and try to work out his girlfriend's jumbled rambling.

Little Patamon sat up with a jolt, his huge wing-like ears twitching as he searched for the source of what woke him. _Hm... _With aid from his "wings" he landed on the back of the couch, his eyes finally resting on the door way. _Something doesn't feel right._

Matt, having noticed the little digimon's alertness set the remote down and turned his attention toward the door. "Patamon, what are you looking at?"

Agumon and Gabumon momentarily stopped devouring the ever emptying bowl of cheese puffs, their stances alert as well, though both their faces were blotched in orange powder. A thread of excitement ran through Agumon's voice as he sniffed the air.

"I smell Tai."

Relieved there wasn't a threat, Matt fell back into his relaxed position, feet kicked up on the small plastic coffee table. "About time."

And with that, the front door burst open, leaving Tai and another person to tumble into the apartment. The two teens quickly regained their footing, slamming themselves up against the closed door.

A sleepy looking Davis, having heard all the commotion, made his way from the spare bedroom. A yawning Veemon trailed half-heartedly behind him. The drowsy digimon took in the whole scene, from battle ready digimon to confused humans and blinked.

"Huh? Wus goin on?"

Matt, having been startled by the crash, sat on his knees with his arms folded on the back of the couch so he could get a better view. "Yeah, Tai. And who's the chick?"

Tai rolled his eyes. _Figures that's the first thing he notices_. "Can someone just give us a hand here?!"

Davis, now wide awake and eager, rushed to throw his body weight against the door. Matt on the other hand, as cool as always, continued to prod Tai while T.K. stood dumbfounded. "So you gonna tell us why you guys are barricading my front door?"

As if in response, a loud bang pounded against said door, jarring the three teenagers who held it closed for a few seconds until they could regain their footing.

With a lurch, Davis fell to the floor, using his soccer-strong calves to close the door with his feet. "I don't know, but whatever it is, it's pushing back!"

"T.K., what's going on?! T.K.?! T.K., are you still there?!"

Startled, T.K. turned his attention back toward the phone. "Uh… sorry, Kari. I'm gonna have to call you back." In a stupor, he ignored her protests and proceeded to hang up the phone.

"WAIT! T.K. WHAT-" Click.

"Ha, you are so in the doghouse, buddy!"

"Davis, shut up!" Tai ground out, annoyed with everyone at the moment. _What the heck is wrong with everybody?!_

A thunderous, yet oddly familiar voice boomed. "In the name of the Holy Council, OPEN THIS DOOR!"

Matt, finally sensing a crisis rose to his feet. "The Holy wha-"

"Let him in."

A collective "Hunh?" filled the room as everyone looked toward Patamon who had not moved from his position on the couch. He was staring rather intently at something that wasn't there.

"Let him in. Maybe I can reason with him."

"What are you, crazy?!" Tai had had enough of this. "This guy nearly killed us! He doesn't need a stern talking to! Am I the only one that hasn't lost my mind?!"

Rachael raised her hand quickly, bracing her weight against the door as another blow came. "I would say I haven't, but I'm seriously having doubts right now."

_Great_. Tai rolled his eyes.

"Let me deal with him."

Surprised, everyone gave a small jump as their eyes settled on the newly evolved Patamon, not having noticed that the little digimon had taken the opportunity to digivolve.

Rachael gave a surprised shriek, having forgotten all about barricading the door. "Another one?!"

"What?!" The oblivious digidestined shouted in unison and all looked to Tai, mouths agape.

"_Another _Angemon? That's what's chasing you guys?" Matt threw his hands in the air. "This is just great! What did you do, Tai?!"

"WHAT?! ME? Why do you always assume it's my fault?"

Completely ignoring the bickering teenagers, Angemon carefully approached the wary girl. His smile was gentle and a soft sense of kindness radiated about him, making it very hard to find him a threat. "I won't hurt you."

Not seeing another choice, she gave an absent nod. "I believe you."

His voice had a slight laugh to it, as if he were amused by her naiveté in the situation. "Now go with the other digimon. They are my friends and they will protect you."

Not even hesitating, Rachael made her way toward the dinosaur and dog creatures, making a mental note that a day of missed medication made her hallucinate.

At Angemon's insistence, Davis and Tai scurried away from the door, paving the way for the very angry angemon to make his way into the room. The glowering angel stood proudly. The large crest of light etched across his chest brought a series of gasps through the room.

"What is your business here?"

The angry Angemon turned his attention toward his counterpart, a bit surprised to be faced with another angel digimon. "You are unaware?"

"Let's just say I didn't get the memo."

Whether he didn't get the joke or chose to ignore it, the angemon pointed toward the petite blond standing behind Agumon and Gabumon. "She is coming with me."

"Why? What has a human girl done to provoke the wrath of the Holy Council?"

His attention did not sway from the girl in question as he spoke. "Nothing… yet."

Angemon cocked his head, curious and a bit perturbed. "Then on what grounds are you-"

"The Holy Council has every right to do as it sees fit!"

At this, Angemon's demeanor became visibly angry. "The Holy Council has no right unless granted by the Sovereigns."

The angel's smirk was anything but angelic and sent a feeling of unease down the destined digimon's spine. "The Sovereigns are foolish. They are too weak to do what needs to be done."

Everyone watched intently, as Angemon posed the question that silently hung between them all. "And what would that be?"

The bitter chuckle he gave was just as unnerving as his smirk. "The elimination of all virii."

Davis blinked, having seen the horrified expressions on everyone else's faces (with the exception of Rachael who just seemed anxious about the whole affair). Confusion was plain on his face. "But, isn't that a good thing? I mean, the virus digimon are the evil digimon, right?"

Veemon interrupted before the triumphant looking council member could speak. "No, Davis. Virus is an attribute like Vaccine and Data type digimon. It's a classification, it doesn't mean that you're destined to be evil."

"Pft. Of course it does. Virii are simply what their name entails; parasites. Give me one instance where you have met a "good" virus?"

The blue dragon's big brown eyes were narrowed. He grit his teeth as he spoke. Davis watched in surprise, having never seen his digimon so… so sure and so offended. "Wormon. One of my best friends."

An uncomfortable silence settled in as the fuming messenger, having no retaliation, glared at them all. He spoke through clenched teeth, jabbing a finger at the girl in question. "You don't know what you're dealing with. That… human has jeopardized the entire world by simply being. Her ties to the darkness are an abomination and must be abolished. If that means that she may expire… so be it."

Everyone in the room gasped in horror. Rachael tightened her fists nervously, not liking where this conversation was going.

"Whether she is seen as a threat or not, I sense no malice in her, and even if that were not the case, I will not let you harm a helpless human."

"You dare defy the Holy Council?"

Angemon chose his words carefully, his stance rigid and voice holding a sense of finality that left no room for question. "I am on the side of justice. If it just so happens that the Holy Council has forgone that path, then so be it."

Infuriated, the angemon met the gaze of each digidestined and digimon. "All of you then?"

Once again surprising everyone, Veemon spoke. "The digidestined were established to enforce peace and justice. We will fulfil our purpose."

In a blur of speed, the council's angemon whirled toward his intended target. "HAND OF FATE!"

In a matter of seconds, Agumon and Gabumon let instinct take over, countering the champion's attack with their own. But the rookies were no match for a champion, especially not one of the Holy Council.

Rachael screamed as she hit the ground, her vision blinded by a sweltering white light. Oh God! She was burning, burning alive! She shrieked in agony, invisible tongues of fire lapping at her skin. It was as if a fire were burning her skin, burning straight through her and into her very heart. It felt so painful. It felt so wrong. So much screaming. Her head was echoing with her screams, the pain warping their pitch, disembodying them, until she wasn't sure whether or not it was even her that was screaming. Her body ached and the light burned so badly that even shutting her eyes couldn't dismiss its powerful rays. And she screamed. It stunk of sea salt and blood and her clothes were torn as badly as her skin. She was cold, so impossibly cold even though she was burning and her stomach dared to twist with hunger even in her torment. Her throat burned as she screamed, as he screamed, as they screamed. They?

Tai rushed to the shrieking girl, doing anything to keep himself from slugging that angemon in the face. T.K. followed his cue while Davis armor engergized Veemon and Matt freaked out about a battle taking place in his dad's apartment.

"What do we do?" T.K.'s voice was frantic and Tai couldn't really blame him. After all the battles they had faced, not one of them had ACTUALLY been struck down by an enemy. At least, not one of the humans.

Tai grimaced, not even knowing where to begin or what to do as she thrashed about, shrieking at the top of her lungs. When digimon exchanged blows, it looked painful, but they always seemed to bounce back, brushing off what would look like a very brutal attack and heading right back into battle, as if they were built for that kind of pain. But humans weren't and he could only imagine how horrible it must feel.

"T-TAI!"

Tai snapped his gaze toward T.K. who was pointing a shaking finger at Tai's pants pocket. Tai stared, confused and amazed at the dark spot of light that was visible through his pocket. Suddenly remembering the crest, Tai fished it out, dumbfounded at what lay in his palm.

"That's the crest of light!"

Tai nodded absently, not knowing what to say. From the many cracks, the crest was spewing out pure darkness, the scene so visually mind boggling that the darkness itself almost seemed to glow. That couldn't be good... unless... Curious, Tai cradled Rachael's head, using his other hand to spread out the string of the crest with his fingers.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Ignoring the younger boy, Tai worked the crest over her head, trying not to get it caught in her hair. He gently tugged the crest down over her face, leaving it to fall against her chest. As soon as the metallic object made contact with her skin, Rachael's eyes shot open.

Startled, Tai dropped her, scuttling back like a crab as something other than Rachael stared back at him. Cold, steel blue eyes peered at him, cloudy and dispassionate and not at all like Rachael's pale blue-green eyes. A shiver ran down his spine and Tai quickly scanned through his memory, desperate to find out where he had seen those eyes before. He somehow knew that if he could just find the answer, things would start to unravel so much faster.

But before he could remember, she closed her eyes and the hairs on the back of Tai's neck wilted. A soft sigh confirmed that she was okay. But even so, the crest still pulsed faintly, now thick with blackness. Wait, no.

Tai cautiously approached her, still leery of the uncomfortable presence he had just sensed. The crest was no longer covered in darkness. It wasn't even broken anymore. It was completely mended. And it was pitch black, gleaming with some inner sheen like a twinkling black diamond. The insignia itself was familiar to him and once again, he was racking his brain for memories that would help him.

"Is that a... bat?"

"I think so."

"I think I remember that."

T.K. and Tai exchanged a look, silently agreeing that once again, something from the past was coming back to haunt them.

"NOOOO!"

Angemon and Flamedramon watched in silence as their adversary slowly began to disintegrate. "But how? Why? We are made to combat evil. Darnkess is evil." The angemon hung his head in resignation as the deletion process began to engulf his waist. "I have failed..."

"Darkness isn't evil. It's just darkness."

At Flamedramon's voice, the angemon looked up. Flamedramon continued. "Just like light isn't good, it's just light. It's the followers of each that determine what is good and what is evil."

Stricken by this conclusion, the angemon once again hung his head. "Then if that is true, I have failed you. And I hope that these words of warning will aid you. The Holy Council has great power. Those who you would find allies would be your enemies and those who would see to your destruction, now look to you for guidance. I have made many mistakes as of late and I beg you to not do the same. That girl is your connection to the darkness. Be wary of your ties to the light."

And with that, he was gone.

"AW, MAN! DAD'S GONNA KILL ME! THERE'S BURN MARKS IN THE CARPET! BURN MARKS!"

The three remaining boys rolled their eyes as Matt gripped his hair, pacing about the entrance and shouting out panicked profanites as Angemon and Flamedramon de-evolved. Davis, still a bit disturbed by his partner's uncharacteristic display of intellect, crossed his arms and glowered at the blue dragon.

"Well, Mr. Wiseguy, you gonna explain to me just what that was all about?"

"Oh, uh..." Veemon closed his eyes and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ha, ha. See it's sort of a funny story. Being an armor digimon, there's stuff that I kind of know that you guys don't."

T.K. raised his eyebrows. "Yeah? And exactly when were you going to fill us in?"

"Uh.. hehe, see... Uh... being in a hole for hundreds of years kinda does stuff to your brain and uh... I forgot all about it really."

Everyone (except the still freaking out Matt) sweat dropped. But the awkwardness was short-lived as the door to the Ishida residence flew open once again, knocking a ranting Matt into the closet door.

"OUCH! HEY!"

"TAI!" A frantic Kari dashed into the room, a worn-out looking Mimi trailing her.

"Oh, sorry, Matt. Are you okay?"

"Uh..." The blond coughed, rubbing the small bump on his head. "Yeah. It's okay, Meems."

Forgetting about the unconcious girl for a moment, Tai switched into big brother mode. "Kari! What's wrong? What's going on? Are you okay?"

Kari mirrored her brother's stance, holding him at a distance by the shoulders and gripping him just as hard in hopes of snapping him out of it. "Tai, I'm fine, everyone's okay."

"Where's Gatomon? Wasn't she with you today?"

"Present," the small cat's voice purred from the doorway. Behind her was a very annoyed Palmon. "I was waiting for Palmon."

"You guys forget," the little plant whined, "we're much smaller than you and I'm a plant so I'm not exactly built for running."

After checking to see that Rachael was still breathing, T.K. rose to his feet as well. "So, what's going on, Kari?"

The brunette glared, her chocolate eyes filled with a scorn that sent a lump to his throat. "You would know if you hadn't hung up on me."

"Uh..."

A fit of coughing reminded them that there was a rather unconsciousperson lying on the living room floor.

"Oh, my!" Mimi dashed to her side, hands raised helplessly while she tried to figure out a way to help.

Tai let go of his sister, making his way toward the panicked pink haired girl. "She's okay, Mimi. She was sort of... attacked."

The two girls and their digimon stared in horror. "Attacked?!"

"Yeah," T.K. quickly interjected, "that's why I had to call you back. There was a battle going on in my dad's living room."

Gatomon, curious, approached the girl cautiously. Her blue eyes widened as she took in the site of the crest.

"That's the symbol that evil digimon use!"

"WHAT?!"

Even Matt, who had been busy trying to piece together a shattered lamp was quiet.

Insistent, Gatomon went on. "I'm not sure what it means, but I know that's where I've seen it."

"That's right!" T.K. eagerly made his way toward the small group that was forming around Rachael. "I knew I saw it somewhere. It was across Devimon's chest."

Gatomon nodded. "Yes. Myotismon wore it as well."

A chill ran down Tai's spine and the world was suddenly spinning much faster than he had remembered it. He licked his dry lips, unnerved. His knees buckled, spilling him into an armchair.

"Tai? Tai, what's wrong?"

He didn't know who asked and it didn't really matter. He held his face in his hands, head between his knees as his body quaked with an anxious fear that he didn't even know he had possessed. And he suddenly knew where he had seen those eyes before. Eyes he had never wanted see again for the rest of his life.

_**He**was standing there, towering above the little brown haired girl and her partner as the rest of the team fought their hardest. Nothing was working and Tai had watched in horror as a stream of screeching bats had been hurled toward his little sister and Gatomon. And for a split second, thousands of emotions poured over him and the great, headstrong Tai Kamiya felt for the second time in his life, that awful feeling of overwhelming fear, remorse, and helplessness as he was left to merely watch, unable to do anything to stop it._

"Tai?"

Tai raised his head to be staring into the eyes of his baby sister. His heart lurched for a second and it took him a moment to realize that it had all been a memory. Kari was fine and he sure as heck wasn't going to sit back and let that chance come again.

"What did you need to tell me, Kari?"

Kari swallowed, a bit disturbed at Tai's hollow tone. "I had a strange... vision, I think on the way home from the airport. I could smell the Dark Ocean and... Wizardmon was there and DemiDevimon and they were talking to..." She swallowed, her eyes darting away for a moment. "They were talking about... they have digidestined, too. And apparently..." Kari let her gaze travel to the girl on the floor, eyes falling on the black crest that was still glowing faintly. She cleared her throat and once again met her brother's eyes. "Apparently, so does Myotismon."

* * *

**So, the bat's out of the bag now! I didn't intend to keep them all in the dark for such a short period of time, but things were dragging a bit, so this will catch everything up. This chapter was a bit lengthy, but it took the place of two seperate vingettes, the battle scene and Hikari actually having the vision. I will try to post again later tonight or tomorrow. I'll start to reveal the details about this Holy Council and just why the heck Myotismon was chosen out of any dark digimon to be a partner (besides the fact that he's awesome). :)**


	6. The Crest of Darkness

**Toxicsugarninja**: **I'm really sorry guys!** So much has happened! Aside from my writing muse packing her bags and ditching me for a few weeks we had a series of family crises that kept everyone on edge. Everything's all settled now and my computer is free of nasty spyware and pop-up viruses!!! YAY! Despite the lack of updates, I have got down ALOT of ideas and a sequence of how those events will fall into place. This will hopefully make updating more frequent. (**AND I WILL NOT BE PROMISING 'TOMORROW' UPDATES THAT ARE FULFILLED NEARLY THREE MONTHS LATER!**) :) This I can promise. Thank you all for the reviews and to **VINDERS** and anyone else who I think might be interested in that sort of thing, I have an alternate fic to this one entitled The Darkest Hour. It will probably be an M rating later on, but not for any citrusy stuff. That fic is a bit darker in a lot of aspects and depicts a "meaner" myo. :) which is always fun.

ALSO!!! If anyone would like to Beta this, I'd be honored and much obliged! As you can probably see, I have a hard time cutting things out. :) Thanks.

* * *

Chapter Six: The Crest of Darkness

Izzy Izumi sighed as he took in the site of the battered apartment. He had rushed to Palette Town [{and yes, it's seriously a place in Japan- not making a Pokémon reference}] only to realize that Tai was nowhere to be found. At a loss, and admittedly a little grumpy, he had ventured to the closest place where he knew there would be the largest amount of help- Matt's house. Izzy scanned the faces of the stunned children and their digimon, his ire slowly leaving at the eerie feeling of shock in the air. He mentally cursed a few good words. Why was he always one of the last ones to find out about this kind of stuff? I mean, he was the computer and digimon expert? Didn't it ever occur to anyone that he should probably be one of the first ones to know when a new crisis started to unfold?

"What the heck happened here?"

When the only answer he received was everyone picking their jaws up off the floor, he crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the girl lying on the floor and the obvious signs of wreckage. "All right. What happened? Another evil digimon, I take it?"

No one answered as the shock subsided. TK and Mimi helped the now conscious Rachael off the floor and gingerly guided her to the couch. They made sure to take great care in their task once a few painful sounds were uttered.

Mimi looked down at the teenager with her chocolate concern-filled eyes. Oh, how awful- digimon attacking a human! She must be in so much pain right now. "Are you okay?"

Rachael sighed and closed her eyes, her head still ringing even with the sweet comfort of Mimi's voice. It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop as everyone awaited eagerly for her answer. Her voice was strained. "Uh… I don't know. Define 'ok.'"

Unsatisfied with being left in the dark, Izzy knocked his glare up a few watts and directed it toward the closest victim.

Matt sighed, abandoning his attempts to piece together the table lamp. So much for keeping the place neat. And after we just had the place fixed up too. Oh, well. At least the couch is still intact.

"Matt?"

Matt swallowed thickly as he caught Izzy's narrowed eyes. He pushed away from the counter and pulled the shorter boy off to the side. He bit his lip, not quite sure how to explain their latest pickle to the fuming redhead.

Tentomon appeared in the doorway, huffing and puffing. He nearly fell once he crossed the threshold. "Did we really have to take the stairs, Izzy? Flying or not, I think it would have been much more efficient to have used the elevator. Not to mention easier on my wings."

Palmon smirked, using her leafy hands to stifle her chuckles. "Tell me about it. Humans can be so weird."

Agumon, as unfazed as always in a time of panic, approached the wheezing beetle with what remained of the cheese puffs. "Want some?"

Tentomon's buggy eyes widened in curiosity as he caught his breath, totally unaware of the series of "No way"s his digidestined was shouting in the background. "What is it?"

Agumon froze, visibly perplexed. "Uh… That's a good question." He turned to Gabumon seeking aid, but the horned digimon merely shrugged. Agumon sweatdropped. Having no answer, he turned his attention back to Tentomon. "I dunno, but they sure are tasty."

Tentomon sweatdropped, visibly a bit greener. The stuff that humans eat. Yuck! "No thanks."

Izzy swallowed his disbelief for probably about the hundredth time and tried his hardest not to stutter, but darn it all, it was hard. "So let me get this straight, you're telling me that this girl is somehow Myotismon's digidestined? Even if that didn't sound incredibly crazy, it's physically impossible! Imperialdramon broke down his data. There was nothing left. Theoretically, he shouldn't even be able to exist right now."

Davis, quick to recover, added his two cents whilst he sent out a mass text on his d-terminal. "Yeah, man. I mean, we blew that guy's smithereens into smithereens."

Veemon nodded encouragingly. "Mhm. No way."

TK made his way from the couch, joining the small circle that had seemed to form. "Izzy's got a point. I mean, we all saw it happen. There's no way Myotismon could be back."

Kari folded her arms and couldn't help feeling a little indignant. Why was it that nobody ever listened to her until it was blatantly obvious and by that time incredibly dangerous? "Well that's what I saw!"

Rachael winced at the raised voices as they bickered back and forth. She slunk down into the couch cushions, gritting her teeth against the pain in her torso and imagining herself thousands of miles away from here. "Why is everyone yelling?!"

Mimi looked down at her sympathetically. "They don't mean to yell. They're just really surprised is all."

Rachael nodded and then regretted it. She held her head, her vision still a bit off. The movement put a strain on her chest and she winced.

"Hey, are you okay?!"

Everyone stopped fighting at Mimi's outburst. All attention turned to the blond girl quivering on the couch. "Yeah…yeah, just… I feel… like… burnt or something. It's horrible."

Mimi looked to her fellow digidestined, concern etched in her features.

Kari, having had many strange things happen to her because of her element, approached cautiously. Maybe the crest of light could help her. It had certainly done a lot of other strange things. "Where were you hit?"

Rachael opened her eyes. "Like, around my chest and stomach."

Kari and Mimi lifted up her shirt. The guys all looked off somewhere else, curiously sneaking glances. There was a collective gasp. The boys didn't even bother to keep pretending that they weren't looking.

Rachael's skin was a sweltering sore of angry red. The mark was round, a bit bigger than a fist. It almost did look like a glossy burn.

Kari winced and hoped that this would work. Curious, she gingerly touched the shiny patch of skin just below Rachael's bra.

A deafening shriek caused her to tumble back and withdraw her hand. Rachael was pressed against the couch practically in tears as she struggled to put as much distance between her and Kari as possible. Pain twisted her features and every muscle in her body was clenched. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Tears stung at the corners of Kari's eyes as the shock faded. What had she done? Helplessly, she struggled to find an apology. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I- I didn't mean to hurt you!"

But nonetheless, the girl's pale skin bore yet another festering red mark that slightly overlapped the previous one. However, this one was in the shape of a very delicate handprint.

Kari's digivice gave a small shriek and a soft light shone brightly from her pocket. Rachael's crest echoed it, pulsing black against her skin. The digidestined and their partners could only stare in wonder until Tai cleared his throat and turned to Izzy.

"You got a theory on this?"

The computer genius was silent for some time, giving Mimi a chance to rummage through Matt's freezer for an ice pack. Something passed across his face and Tai knew that the wheels in his head were turning.

"I guess so. Mimi, come here."

At hearing her name, Mimi shut the freezer and made her way back to the tiny sitting area, her icy prize in tow. With a gentle smile she held out the icepack to Rachael. "Here you go."

Izzy's expression was a bit apprehensive, but if he didn't test his hypothesis, they wouldn't know. "Mimi, touch her skin."

Mimi just blinked, startled. "What? It'll hurt h-"

Tai gave a frustrated sigh. Frankly, he was sick of the whole affair. If Myotismon really was back, they shouldn't be sitting here wasting time. "Just do it, Mimi."

The bearer of sincerity gave a very uncharacteristic scowl. Tai swallowed, a bit nervous under her gaze. With a sheepish smile he added, "Please."

Mimi's anger faded and she sighed. Well, if they really think it'll help.

She softly apologized for what she was about to do. Everyone braced themselves for another scream. Mimi's fingers hesitantly tapped against Rachael's skin and… nothing.

Rachael winced slightly. It hurt a little, but it wasn't a hot burning like before. It was just a little sore; the normal feeling of discomfort that came with poking one's wounds. In a small act of penance, Mimi retracted her hand and carefully replaced it with the icepack. Rachael gave a small, forced smile and tugged her shirt down to keep the icepack in place. Her voice was still a bit hoarse from the screaming. "Thank you."

The pink haired girl smiled warmly. "You're welcome, um…."

The small blonde smiled, her eyes closing against the absurdity of everything around her. "My name's Rachael."

Izzy stood pondering what this could mean. One arm was crossed, the other using said arm as support to put a thoughtful finger to his chin. It was the same habitual thinking stance he had done since childhood. "Hmm. Interesting."

Matt smirked, leaning against the counter and trying to regain his typical cool demeanor. "Yeah, Einstein?"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the computer genius took off his thinking cap and looked to the digidestined around him. "Well, it's interesting that only Hikari's touch produces such a painful reaction. My theory is that it's because the light always tries to penetrate the darkness."

Davis blinked. Boy did that not sound right. Being his usual self, he found that he'd need a much simpler answer. "Say what?!"

Izzy noticed the confused (and smirking) faces around him and sighed. Sometimes he wondered how he was able to communicate with them at all. "I think that her crest is the crest of darkness."

Everyone stared. The occasional dumbfounded blinks were the only movements in the room.

Agumon cocked his head slightly to the side like a dog. He was more curious than anything at the moment. "The crest of darkness?"

Gabumon shook his head, visibly distraught. "And Myotismon is her digimon."

Davis threw his hands in the air, nearly tossing his d-terminal along with them. "This is just great."

Matt's brow twitched. When was this going to end? Wasn't three times enough for a person to die? Did they really have to go through the hell that was Myotismon one more time? A knot formed in his stomach as the horrible thought that it might never end wormed its way into his mind. He found himself shouting. He wasn't quite sure why he was, but he knew it made him feel better. "The crest of darkness?! And not to mention who her digimon partner is! First, it's Myotismon. Then what? What's next? What if all the evil digimon we've ever faced have somehow found a way to latch onto a kid? We can never defeat them."

At that cheery prospect, everyone's faces paled a bit. But Gatomon shook her head, unfazed. She knew in her heart that that couldn't be the answer. "But Wizardmon isn't an evil digimon and he has a digidestined, too."

Matt stared, completely dumbfounded. The other digidestined who knew of her deep hatred for her past were equally confused. "But it's Myotismon we're talking about! This is the same guy who abused you for years not to mention took away your best-"

"I KNOW WHAT HE'S DONE!"

Gatomon hung her head, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes as an old wound that had never really closed ached across her heart. After all these years, the memory of her only friend at such a pivotal time in her life still affected her. It especially seemed foolish because she knew that Kari had seen Wizardmon and he was okay. But the awful memory never seemed to go away. She took in a shaking breath. It hurt, but being under Myotismon's service taught her one thing that had kept her sane when she had felt overwhelmed: if you pretend it doesn't bother you then no one will think it will and after sometime, you'll convince yourself that nothing is wrong, even if your heart says otherwise. She would not break that unspoken rule. She would not cry.

"Gatomon?" Kari's voice was soft and full of concern.

Tai glared; glad he finally had an outlet to take his anger out on, even if he was unaware of this secret motive. "Matt, what's wrong with you?! You know she's sensitive about that!"

Matt clenched his fists. The original DD braced themselves while Davis watched intently. He had heard of these famous fights out topping the small rivalry he had with TK, but had never had a front row seat to one. "I didn't mean to make her upset! Excuse me for finding it just a little weird that she's willing to look past all that after everything he's done to us! At least I care about what's going to happen to us if this whole thing goes downhill!"

Tai took a threatening step toward the scowling blond. "Saying I don't?! Is that what you're saying, Ishida?!"

That familiar fire sprung to life in Tai's eyes and Kari knew even before fist met face that it had gotten out of hand. She and Davis struggled to yank Tai off a stunned, but equally enraged Matt. Matt himself was sprawled across the floor, sporting a nasty bruise on his cheek. His blue eyes froze when he regained his footing and there was a tension in him that was not too friendly. He would have lunged for Tai if TK and Izzy hadn't held him back. Each fighter paused to catch their breath, their hearts thumping wildly against their chests. Tai licked his lip, tasting something salty. He realized with a bit of irritation that Matt had in fact got a punch or two in. But where the blood was coming from was still a mystery. It wasn't until he spoke and felt blood drip into his mouth from his top lip that he was able to conquer that Matt had dealt a blow to the nose.

"You try losing your little sister, Ishida. You try not being able to do anything while you watch her suffer, while you watch her almost get murdered. Then tell me that I don't care."

Tai should've looked ridiculous being held back by his sister and successor, blood gushing from his right nostril like a faucet. But the glowing amber of his eyes unnerved Matt as they always did, boring a hole straight into the blonde's head. It was times like these that Matt couldn't tell who the better man was. But he knew who had the shortest fuse.

"If you guys stop fighting, maybe I can help."

Everyone was a bit startled as they looked to Patamon. The digimon had been silent for the past ten minutes or so and hearing his small voice was a bit of a shock. Matt looked to Tai one more time, hoping that his message came across crystal clear. Tai nodded, his expression still a bit heated. This wasn't over.

"Patamon, what are you talking about?" TK kneeled backward on the armchair, staring up at his digimon who had perched himself on the back of it. "How did you know about the Holy Council and what's going on?"

Patamon shrugged, a bit nervous to be put on the spot. "well, uh, you see, the holy council is a group of really powerful angel digimon in the digital world. They're supposed to be really good digimon who make sure that all the evil's kept at bay. In fact, they're the ones that made you guys."

The digimon blinked, a bit puzzled at being faced with their origins.

Davis scratched his head, having picked up on the wording. "You mean you weren't?"

Patamon shook his head, a little embarrassed under everyone's gazes. "Nunuh. I was just as clueless as the rest of you until I became MagnaAngemon that first time and all these thoughts sort of hit me at once. I never really thought about it much afterwards because what with Diaboromon, there wasn't too much time to find an answer. But from what I've seen, before I was put inside a digi-egg, I was MagnaAngemon and I lived with these angel digimon."

The digidestined and their digimon stared, letting the information sink in. Matt, having cooled off a bit, asked the next question that came to his mind. "What?! Does that mean you were part of the holy council?"

"I'm not sure. But like I said, they were supposed to be good digimon. They worked a lot with digvolving and even made the digivices. They were the ones that started the digidestined."

TK was a bit miffed that Patamon had failed to mention such important things to his own partner. Sure, some things were private, but come on. This was big. He tried his hardest to keep the hurt out of his voice. "What?! Could you have mentioned this before?!"

The little digimon sensed that his digidestined was upset, but didn't know how to make it right. He stammered to find an excuse that would bode well. "Well it's sort of a big secret and I didn't want to say too much because I never thought it would come up."

TK shook his head. That wasn't quite the answer he wanted, but then again, he wasn't really sure what he wanted Patamon to say. "This doesn't make any sense. So if this holy council is supposed to be good, then why did they attack Rachael? Does that mean that somehow there's a group of evil digidestined now?"

Davis stared, his voice cracking with shock. "You mean we have to fight other kids?!"

Mimi, who had been strangely quiet while she watched over the now sleeping Rachael couldn't help feeling shaken. Digimon were one thing, but other kids? "I don't know if I could do that!"

Patamon decided to end that train of thought now, before it really got out of hand. "No, I don't think so. The holy council once stood for justice and everything good in the digital world. They defended the weak and helped those who needed it most. They weren't really fighters unless they had to be. And any digimon who would hurt a human, no matter what that person might have done, isn't a part of the council that I remember."

Izzy once again scratched his chin. "That's fascinating, Patamon. There's so many things I want to ask you, but I guess for now we should just stick to the matter at hand. So this holy council is the one who started the digidestined. Wouldn't that mean that they would have somehow had something do to with the bond between Rachael and Myotismon?"

Matt leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing his arms and trying his best to look calm and collected while sporting a blackened eye. "Yeah, but why destroy them if they paired them together? And if they paired them, wouldn't that mean that they had to have made Myotismon, too?"

Davis expressed the air of silent wonder that had gone through everyone's heads. "Why the heck would a group of angels make Myotismon? Maybe they really have gone nuts!"

Gatomon bit her lip. Though her recollections of her servitude were never pleasant, they did prove useful at times. "That's not very likely. Myotismon is much older than he looks. He's been around for quite a long time from what I've heard. And if the holy council has just recently gone off the deep end, even if it was before you guys originally came to the digital world, they obviously didn't resort to something that crazy."

Kari gave her digimon an encouraging smile. "Gatomon's right. Besides, why would they have made him if he's a dark digimon? The holy council is made up of angel digimon and they all like the light right?"

Patamon's ears gave a small flicker as he settled himself into the chair's cushiony material. Being in the spotlight wasn't so bad. "Right. But they don't just like it, that's who they are. It's what gives them their power. Just like how Myotismon gets his power from the darkness."

"That's it!"

The digidestined stared at a rather excited looking Izzy. He had been unusually quiet and truthfully, most of the kids had forgot he was there.

Tk blinked, asking the question that he knew Izzy wanted them to ask. "What's it?"

The computer genius let a smug smile cross his lips. "Well, if the holy council is composed entirely of light digimon, how can we combat them with other holy digimon such as Gatomon and Patamon? Not to mention Omnimon and Imperialmon could techinically count as holy digimon as well. And if our digimon were created or a part of this council at one point or another, who's to say that they don't know how our digimon will battle? They could predict their every move, or worse, mess with their programming all together! It only makes sense that the key to the holy council's defeat lays within the darkness."

Tai hung his head, in a soft wonder at the new mess they had gotten mixed up in. "So… dark digimon then?"

Mimi gave a small gasp at the trail of blood oozing down tai's face. A rather large stain of red had already soaked into the collar of his T-shirt. Why no one had pointed any attention to it was beyond her. "OH TAI! You've got blood everywhere!"

Tai just looked at her, a bit confused. That is, until he saw the droplets of blood that had dripped onto his hands from only seconds ago. He cursed and pinched his nose while Mimi fetched him a paper towel. "Thanks, Matt." Was the only muffled complaint he made. He took the offered paper towel hasitly, mumbling a very nasally sign of gratitude and sat down on the couch by a very groggy Rachael.

"Lean forward."

"Hunh?"

Rachael smirked, becoming a bit more awake after her unintentional nap. "If you tilt your head back, the blood'll go to your throat and you could choke on it. That and it's all nasty now anyway."

"Oh. Thanks. How'd you know that?"

She shrugged. "My parents were medical people."

_Were? _"Oh…" Tai cleared his throat. "I'm sorry."

The sad smirk he recieved was not really what he expected. "They aren't dead or anything. We just don't talk."

Izzy cleared his throat in an attempt to get everyone back on subject.

Patamon nodded his thanks. "So anyway, that sounds about right. I think it's just a coincidence that most of the bad guys we faced were dark digimon. We made the mistake of pairing darkness with evil." Knowing she'd appreciate it, he smiled at Gatomon. "Wizardmon was a dark digimon, but he was one of our greatest friends."

Gatomon nodded, smiling a bit in a silent thank you.

Davis groaned. Why did everything have to be so complicated? "But wait! What about Myotismon? You can't tell me that Mr. I suck blood and I want to take over both worlds is suddenly a goody two shoes."

TK sighed, abandoning his awkward position and sitting on the chair the right way. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Davis is right. I mean, this is Myotismon we're talking about here. The guy nearly killed us as well as hundreds of innocent people."

Agumon added his two cents in from the group of digimon stationed in front of the television. Used to their humans' long conversations, Agumon and Veemon had taken up the task of trying to explain the game of soccer to Palmon and Tentomon whilst Gabumon finished off the cheese puffs. "And don't forget about Oikawa"

TK gestured to Agumon with both hands as if to say "voila".

Izzy sighed, tired of standing. He pulled up one of the kitchen bar stools. "I just wish I could get a hold of Gennai. Then maybe this would all start to make sense."

Matt turned to the redhead, intrigued. "You've tried?"

"Yeah. We talk all the time. Then I lost contact with him about a week ago and I haven't heard from him since."

Palmon's voice came from the small digimon party. "Maybe something happened to him."

Izzy grit his teeth. If something did happen to Gennai, then things were really bad indeed. "I hope he isn't working with this holy council. I mean… if the angel digimon are supposed to be the good guys… how are we supposed to defeat them?"

Davis was a bit taken back. "Wouldn't that make us the bad guys?"

Tai sighed, checking his tissue to see that his nose was in fact clotting. "Just great."

Matt shook his head. "If only we knew more about this holy council."

Rachael, who had been silent the whole time cleared her throat. "Hey um, sorry to break up your powwow but uh… I really have no idea what's going on, I just got blasted in the chest, and I want to go home. Um… can someone please, please tell me what is going on and get me to Fuji TV?"

Tai was may have been the leader, but when it came to all the logic stuff... He looked to Izzy who merely shrugged. "I don't see why not. After all this trauma a bit of normalcy is probably the best thing, though she really should get that burn looked at."

Tai nodded, wiping his nose a final time. He shoved the tissue in his pocket and got off the couch. "Come on, let's go."

Agumon set one of the many empty bowls down and hurried to Tai's side. "I'm coming, too this time! No way am I letting you out of my sight now!"

Yeah, he was the leader all right. But sometimes, even his own digimon knew just when to lay down the line. He smiled and nodded, humoring the little dinosaur. "Sure. That's no a bad idea."

Agumon smiled. He then approached Rachael who had successfully managed to sit up. "Hey. Are you okay?"

Rachael blinked. A talking dinosaur. Heck, a dinosaur period! Well this was definately something you didn't see everyday. "Uh… yeah. I'm sort of better now. I'm not so dizzy anymore."

The little digimon's smile touched her heart. He suddenly wasn't as scary looking as she first thought. "That's good."

She smiled, relieved to see that he was harmless. "So… what's your name?"

Again came the toothy grin. "I'm Agumon! And these are my friends!"

A chorus of greetings came from the group of digimon plopped down at her feet."Hi! I'm Palmon!" "I'm Gabumon. It's very nice to meet you." "Veemon! What can I do ya for stranger?" "My name is Tentomon."

Patamon gave her a small smile. "And you already met me. I was Angemon."

Rachael looked to the small white cat with fuzzy purple patches on her ears. She looked sort of cute. But the suspicous expression on her face was anything but cuddly. Having been singled out, she gave a forced smile. "And I'm Gatomon."

Feeling like she was missing something, Rachael turned to Agumon. "What'd I do?"

Gabumon shot the feline a not so friendly look. "It isn't her fault, Gatomon."

The cat crossed her arms. Her tail gave a sharp flick. But when Agumon's glare accompanied Gabumon's she sighed and relented. It wasn't Rachael's fault. Still, she didn't have to like it.

Gabumon flashed Rachael a reassuring smile. "Nothing. She's just a little… uh…"

Agumon grinned, plopping down on the couch next to her. "She hasn't had a catnap today. I wouldn't worry about it."-

Gatomon kept her mouth shut, but her tail furiously thrashed back and forth.

Rachael smiled a bit, still a little uneasy with the very frusterated cat giving her the evil eye. This was so weird. "Um, well, I'm Rachael, but I guess you guys already know that. And uh… it's nice to meet all of you… I think… I…" She smirked. finally finding the strenght to stand. "I guess I'm not hallucinating since, ya know that really did hurt, but uh… you guys realize this is sort of hard to take in?"

Davis laughed, flopping onto the floor amongst the digimon. He smirked as he searched for a bowl that contained some form of food left. "Tell me about it."

Tai smirked, helping her take a few steady steps. "Now come on. We have to get you to Fuji Tv before your friends start to worry."

Rachael paled. "Oh! That's right. Crap. I don't know if I can practice now."

Mimi looked confused as Rachael handed her back the now watery icepack. "Practice?"

She smiled, a bit sheepish. "Uh, yeah. I'm in a band."

Matt pushed away from the counter. He was always excited to meet a fellow musician. "Aw cool. Me too. Are you guys playing at the festival this week?"

"Yeah, that's what we're here for."

Matt smiled. Secretly, he was glad that this would give them a chance to keep tabs on her. "I'll see ya then."

Now able to walk on her own, she gave a very genuine smile. "Cool. See ya. And um… thanks guys for uh… stopping that angel guy. Maybe I'll see you around."

All the digidestined smiled. However, it wasn't lost on anyone that they appeared a little nervous.

Izzy smirked, amused at her naivete to the situation even if the situation itself was frightening. "I'm definitely sure you will."

* * *

I'll post chapter seven as soon as I can. First, I'll be updating The Darkest Hour in the next few days. Thanks for reading!


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